Attack the Block (2011)

A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.

Director:

Joe Cornish

Writer:

Joe Cornish

Stars:

John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 19 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jodie Whittaker	...	Sam
John Boyega	...	Moses
Alex Esmail	...	Pest
Leeon Jones	...	Jerome
Franz Drameh	...	Dennis
Simon Howard	...	Biggz
Maggie McCarthy	...	Margaret
Danielle Vitalis	...	Tia
Paige Meade	...	Dimples
Gina Antwi	...	Dionne
Natasha Jonas	...	Gloria
Sammy Williams	...	Probs
Michael Ajao	...	Mayhem
Luke Treadaway	...	Brewis
Flaminia Cinque	...	Italian Woman

Storyline

Attack the Block follows an unlucky young woman and a gang of tough inner city kids who make an unlikely alliance to try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an intergalactic war-zone.

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Plot Keywords:

pheromones | tower block | gang | alien invasion | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

Inner City vs. Outer Space

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The knife that Moses(John Boyega) wields in the film is a Mikov 241 Predator, a rather rare and expensive switchblade knife from the Czech Republic. It is specifically the variant which features a modified bayonet grind, file-work, and premium RWL-34 steel. Similar knives were used in Casino Royale(2006) and Largo Winch(2008).

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Goofs

Pest appears to have a magical backpack. As the gang pulls out and uses all of his fireworks, more magically appear a minute afterwards.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sam: [on phone] Hi mum!

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Scariest Movie Aliens (2015)

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Soundtracks

Youths So Cold
Written by Coxsone Dodd, Richell Bonner and Johnnie Osbourne (as John Osbourne)
Performed by Richie Spice
Courtesy of Massive B Records

User Reviews

Inner City vs Outer Space

After reading the previous reviews of this movie, I am a bit surprised to see how many people didn't like it. They didn't care for the characters, because of their rude language, their clothes (Ooooh, hoddies:) and the fact that they are petty criminals. But this is a classic "bad guy turns hero" story with such a great written script and talented young actors. The casting director did an excellent job finding these kids. They are real, natural and very believable in portraying being born and raised in Londons Ends. I found myself actually caring about the characters and their destiny throughout the movie. "Attack the Block" is a horror comedy about an alien invasion. Aaaah, you think, I've seen this before! "Bodysnatchers", "The Faculty", and not to mention the great TV-series "Falling Skies". But this movie is different. The focus in the film lies with the characters, and their reaction to having their street invaded by aliens. The aliens them self are kind of cheesy, but scary in a funny way. I expected Nick Frost to have a bigger role, I loved him in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Paul". But he never disappoints me, funny as always :) I really enjoyed this movie, and if you like movies like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Tucker & Dale vs Evil", you'll probably enjoy this as well.

Favourite quote from the movie " Oh man! All this weed and no skins... This is the worst day of my life!"

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Attack the Block

Filming Locations:

Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$139,506, 31 July 2011

Gross USA:

$1,024,175

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,206,022

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, StudioCanal, Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (DTS Digital Surround) SDDS (uncredited) Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1